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Something nice i’ve just stumbled upon. A short docu covering the creation of the creeper character from the cult Jeepers Creepers series (no. 3 is coming soon).

It’s a great documentary simply because it takes you through the whole process of the gargoyle like monster formation, with all crew members that are involved in it. The discuss several of the initial mockups and designs that were considered for the creeper looks, an how they’ve decided on what to take from it and what to ditch.

The suit and makeups that Jonathan Breck was wearing were going through couple of fine tuning phases, including some neat tricks to make him look much scarier on the 2nd film.

People often ask what do bats wings feel like? Well, if you touch your eye lid, it's like that or similar to a deflated balloon. Additionally referring to the bat's arms as wings is actually incorrect, they are not wings, they are arms, just like ours except they have a thin membrane of skin which spans across and between the bones, which thus enables the bats to gain lift and fly. Notice how the bone structure is pretty much identical to ours, his long claw sticking out the top would be our thumb, and the rest of the thin bones coming out from the wrist joint below the thumb would be our fingers. This video is an orphan we had in care last season who has since been released.

People often ask what do bats wings feel like? Well, if you touch your eye lid, it's like that or similar to a deflated balloon. Additionally referring to the bat's arms as wings is actually incorrect, they are not wings, they are arms, just like ours except they have a thin membrane of skin which spans across and between the bones, which thus enables the bats to gain lift and fly. Notice how the bone structure is pretty much identical to ours, his long claw sticking out the top would be our thumb, and the rest of the thin bones coming out from the wrist joint below the thumb would be our fingers. This video is an orphan we had in care last season who has since been released.

Their instagram and facebook pages are just the place to spend a few minutes of your day, and absorb a good chunk of positive wild aura that shines from these little flying wolves. I’m talking about bats of course.

We don’t really get to see them much on our social feeds, right? We’re over saturated with the vanilla selection of “cute” animal videos, and I can assume the average person won’t search much for “cool bat videos” to share. Bats, unfortunately, wouldn’t be spontaneously associated with fun, cute and heraldic wild animals.

It’s an unfortunate misconception, and we can easily guess what fuels it, but here’s where the folks at Bats QLD come in – with a solid aim to contrast the negativity and misunderstanding around bats by spreading information through wondrous videos and photos on their social profiles.

A post shared by Bats Queensland (@batsqld) on May 24, 2017 at 3:51pm PDT

As many of the raddest people on earth, these fellas hail from Australia. Bats QLS is a small non-profit run by a group of volunteers, dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of bats and micro-bats across the state of Queensland (hence QLD).

Bats are, as I’ve learned from their site, an important ally to the bees. They are taking care of the job of spreading seeds and pollen over long distances, reaching much further than a bee could fly. Bats are the agents of large forests creation. They’ve been doing this for the last 50 million years.

Since they are mammals who eat fruits, they are especially critical for the replanting of trees and fruit plants.

Source: Bats QLD instagram

Yes, that results in poop over cars and outer walls, which makes many otherwise animal-loving city residents not very fond of them.

Instead of considering it an annoyance, we can see it as just the way habitats work. Living near green areas means you’ll probably have bat neighbours. Just like deers, hares, foxes.

That’s also the reason why they need rescue sometimes – as the constant friction with our presence around them produces incidents such as injuries and baby bats who lost their mothers and cannot survive on their own (from the stories I picked on the QLD page, I get the idea this is quite common).

I’ve only been hearing about the drone racing scene from friends and by occasionally bumping into a video on facebook. At first I thought it’s just another guys racing tournament which probably populates the regular douches who like car and motor racing (you got it right, I think car racing is an infantile sport). I apparently was wrong.

Drone racing is different. It is still a nerd subculture that grew out from the FPV community, mostly comprised of skilled drone pilots who modded their gear and spontaneously started to explore racing with each other. Those miniaturized aerial “dogfight” competitions quickly became popular, and attracted everyone from traditional radio car racers and flight simulator gamers, to newbies who bought their hobby drone and wanted to level up.

It’s a young, geeky, diy, maker community. Several professional leagues have been formed over the last years, but unlike eSports, drone racing is a smaller next-gen sports niche. Though money is now flowing in, with hopes to make it the new F1 challenge.

Source: DRL

When I came across the story of Zoe Stumbaugh through this short docu from Vice, I couldn’t not feel the badass vibes while watching it. Zoe is zindiqtive.

Source: Youtube

She isn’t the onlywoman in the drone scene, but she’s definitely the top one. Ranked 2nd on freestyle, winning racing competitions (de-facto the no.1 US female drone racer), building her own gear (the Zat 109 she has developed is the world’s smallest FPV racing drone) and teaching others – she is indeed the queen of drones, as Vice titled.

Her story of how she got into the whole thing and pushed to be a pro is inspiring. Here’s what she said in an interview to The Drone Girl website:

I was really, really sick. I had to go through a lot of different surgeries. I was bound to my bed for a good 2 years. I was depressed. My friend told me, ‘You need a new hobby.’ I went to the hobby shop. I found a micro drone. Then I got a larger one. I saw videos of people flying FPV on YouTube, and thought, ‘I need to do that.’

It took me 2-3 months from hearing about it to flying FPV, because I had to build it myself. I never soldered anything in my life. I had to teach myself to do that.

Then I started winning races.

Source: Youtube

While still racing, Zoe now focuses more on freestyling, or the 3D flying. A less stressful competition type, where you perform tricks and maneuvers in the air, rather than racing against others.

She continues:

I like to think of it as being a ballerina in the air. You are quite literally dancing in the air with your drone. You are doing tricks in the air over trees and objects. With racing, it’s just going around a track and the fastest drone wins. With freestyle, every pilot has their own signature style.

And as drone racing is on the verge of breakout, Zoe is working her way to be a recognized pilot, in the same way eSports teams have become global icons:

I see more and more money getting poured into it, and a lot of TV projects are trying to bring drone racing to the mainstream. It will be an interesting climate to see how that develops. It is either going to work and become a popular sport that people will invest their time in to watch, or it’s a thing that a bunch of nerds will get together to watch on the weekends….

…We’re going to start to see the ‘rockstar pilots.’ Even the rockstar pilots are pretty niche right now, but that could change now that drone racing continues to grow.

Lots of women in tech and geeky male things, like in eSports, are coming for the posing. Zoe is the real thing. Got into the hobby as somewhat of a way of redemption, and got herself to master it.

With a good sponsor and the right management, I think she has a good chance to become a unique icon in the years ahead. Go Zoe!

I admit it – I’m seriously hyped on plague doctor costumes, and it’s probably going to be my next cosplay outfit. And the more I talk about it with friends and other cosplayers, I see that there’s a huge shared interest and excitement, but also a common obscureness regarding “why did they wear those beak masks”?

Being the wiccan apprentice that I am, I was triggered to go and do the research to find the answer, but also felt compelled to analyze what’s underneath the attraction I and others can’t deny we hold for this mask and costume.

At first I thought it might be a way to add some mysterious authority and fearful stance, mixed with some decadent humour and religious symbolism.

But as it turns out it’s actually much simpler: those beaks were part of a protection suit.

See, during the 15th to 18th centuries, plagues and mass diseases broke out pretty frequently around Europe. Medicine was more of a magic practice than actual science, and was based on ritualistic treatments. There was no real knowledge what diseases are and how to cure them. Sanitary conditions were a joke, and as cities and towns got bigger, filthier and more dense, the effect of pandemic outbursts was devastating.

The plague doctors were the professional physicians who were brought to take care of the victims of those plagues. When epidemics erupted, they got hired by towns and cities and were tasked to treat all civilians – poor and rich.

As you might assume, they almost never really cured any of their patients. The real value of their works was documenting the sickness volume and counting how many people were contaminated, for administrative purposes.

Being a plague doctor wasn’t a of token of excellence, let alone a hugely desired job. The majority of them were new physicians making their first steps or second-rate doctors who needed money. Some didn’t even have any medical training could have come from completely other areas, such as being market salesman.

They were assigned specifically to treat plague patients and were differentiated from the “general practitioners” who held a regular clinic in the same town or city.

I tried to find more about the size of the paycheck they’ve got, and came across this contract, issued by the city of Pavia at the late 15th century. The payment for one month is set for 30 florins, and if we take as a basic rule that 1 florin equals something like a few 100s of $ in todays value, then we can see that being in the business of death could yield some decent money.

And I’m deliberately saying “business of death” as I see the plague doctors as some sort of a masquerading angels of death – on the outside they come to cure you from your disease, but in reality, they are just doing the death clerk work, hopefully putting in some inspiring show and relief.

That isn’t said in a bad way at all. Part of understanding the enigma that draws you into something is to break it down into its building blocks.

And that brings us to the most significant element of attraction – the beak mask.

source: steampunker.de

Obviously I get the plain thing: the beak in an all-in-one lust artifact – a phallic symbol, an s&m accessory, and a popular choice for playing the seductive stranger in masquerades. Even simpler than that – it connects associatively with some prehistoric flying monsters.

The visual of the beak triggers our sense of “something is not normal and dangerous” – and for heretic people like me, this is uber attractive.

But why did they wear it?

The mask was a simply a respirator, part of a full protection “hazmat” suit that was introduced around the seventeenth century.

It was filled with aromatic items, usually sweet or strong smelling substances, such as lavender, dried flowers, herbs (mint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge.

The idea was to protect from getting infected, as the belief was that it is the putrid air that carries the disease between people (coming from the popular medical theory at the time called Miasma).

In the times prior to the germ theory knowledge, people believed that it is the stench of plagued patients that gets you infected. Simply counter it with some marvelous spa perfumes, and you’re safe.

It’s pretty fascinating to see how strong the sense of smell plays on our perception of things.

Along with the mask-of-survival-fragrance came gloves, boots, a stylish wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment.

To complete the “separation layer” came the wooden cane. It was used as a substitute for hands, in order not to touch the patients. The doctors would examine them, take pulse, and even remove their clothes if needed. Aside from that, it came handy to keep people away.

As with every crafted non-conventional clothing, there’s a designer mind behind it.

In this case, the attribution goes to Charles de Lorme, the chief physician to Louis XIII. He adopted modeled the suit after a soldier’s armour, but it can be that he had older references, as there are findings that authors have wrote about bird-like masks worn by 14th century plague doctors.

Lorme himself left his impression of the mask, and it’s quite nice to read it:

nose half a foot long, shaped like a beak, filled with perfume with only two holes, one on each side near the nostrils, but that can suffice to breathe and to carry along with the air one breathes the impression of the drugs enclosed further along in the beak.

The plague doctors were like pathologists working in an open lab. Walking around as surreal figures, locked inside their suits, faces covered, their voice filtered, and their personality non-existent.

I bet some were hating it, but maybe some got to love this kind of freakishness solitude. Everyone fears and respects you at the same time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if people during those times even fantasized on plague doctors. Erica and Nigel were visiting me the other day, and we all thought we should try and get these masks next time we go to Berlin to party in the Insominia or Sysiphos.

The urge to break the barrier with the barricading suit stranger is the secret driver behind my passion. I want to have a mask on me, I want to feel how it is to be with someone who wears a mask, and I want to break into this “other side”.

Thanks to the Commedia Dell’arte, the beak hasn’t disappeared when medicine got advanced, and just moved from the grim reality side into the realms of carnivals, entertainment and foreplay. The Carnival of Venice has cemented it as one of its most distinctive masks, associating it with the character called Il Medico della Peste (you can figure the translation…).

Today we have quite a few designs of the mask in the market. From the black leather variations to the more steampunk-y styles, which tend to be the most popular a the mo.

I’ve just ordered this one:

You should try also, if you feel the crawling temptation to see things from the plague doctor’s view.

My first instinct was to search for a live performance of “Learning to Fly” – and I’ve found this amazing recording from Bonnaroo 2006. Listen to the mesmerising co-singing with the crowd starting at 3:24. Petty and the audience are a singer and his friends choir. It’s almost as if the stage doesn’t exist there.

The music and culture trades will tell his immaculate life story as a rock icon over the next few days, but I just wanted to share a small personal memory from this giant.

It was 1991 and I was still an elementary school kid, about to start 7th grade. “Learning to Fly” was just released as part of the Heartbreakers album, and the video was running on and on in our 1 public channel country, in between shows.

We have some of our own Rock and Blues giants here in Sweden, and in general, everyone loves Rock music in Sweden. The 80’s with their fat reverb and synth pop sounds were reaching their last mile, and just around the corner were waiting the distortion and grungegods to make their smashing entrance and officially kick off the 90s.

But it wasn’t there yet. It was still the soft and relaxed “something big is about to happen soon” atmosphere before the rebel rock distortion storm would arrive.

I was watching the Heartbreakers music videos, and pretty much immediately started airguitaring on “Learning to Fly”. It was this song that nailed my itch for getting a guitar.

The hooking melody, the sharp clean and non-echoed sound, and the no-posing performance attitude of Petty and his band all conveyed the zeitgeist of this interim period. The Heartland Rock was fitting perfectly, and marked the return of the guitar into the centre of the music scene.

It was the right soundtrack for those twilight till dawn months.

Here’s what Bob Dylan told to the “Rolling Stone” magazine today:

“I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”

Among the endless oceans of viral clips out there, I’ve always found the “meanwhile in Russia” genre to be on its own level.

The obvious reason is the country’s eclectic mix of risk-seeking people who never knew anything else than a tight regime, old primitive infrastructure, sudden flow of money and business to the capital, and a passion to be recognized as a “legit” part of the global society whilst still preserving the beloved soviet habits.

And one big daddy to rule them all: Vodka.

Russia is a twilight zone where absurdity shines between lots of ingenuity, and as such it produces a never ending stream of farcical situations documented on video and known as “Russia clips”.

The call to benefit the internet with a curated selection of such clips was upon me, and I’ve set out to do some categorization and sorting. I’ve discovered, not surprisingly, that there’s order in the chaos. As you’ll see in the next pages of this Russian life gag compilation.

Once again, I’m on the lookout for the very rare kind of girl radness, where only the fearless with the right quirk will venture. I’ve decided I want to find who out there is into putting a Leatherface mask or costume, in advance of Halloween and the new Texas Chainsaw film coming soon.

Liam Gallagher (of Oasis) is known for his no filter, vulgar, tongue-in-cheek raw talk that frequently gets people irritated or alternatively praising him as a “comic genius”.

You could say he kind of built his image on that provocative style. To be fair, it isn’t a facade, it’s how he is for real. Liam is a rough working-class Manchester bloke that somehow managed to form a global best-selling rock band (with his feuding brother) and become an icon of the 90’s destructive rock star.

But he got a natural talent to create those grime-y British “f*** off” humour situations, as if it was taken straight out of a Guy Ritchie film.

(It’s taken from a documentary made by BBC 3 following Liam and his band tour to Lollapalooza.)

Needless to say, a stream of reactions poured immediately, with a mix of admiration:

source: facebook

Angry criticism:

source: facebooksource: facebook

And admiration:

source: facebook

source: facebook

But perhaps the wittiest comment came from the BBC Comedy page:

source: facebook

No matter what you think of Liam, he’s got this skill to evoke non-plastic badass entertainment. Head on to the Facebook post to continue exploring, and if you are in the UK, you can watch the full documentary.

Oh, and before you go, we’ll just leave you with a last little gem from Liam’s world:

Apparently your not allowed to swear now in LEEDS stop the world I'm getting the FUCK OFF as you fuvking were you fucking cunts slags twats

Good thing I’m using Refind – as the other day it floated a link to a neat interactive flashback project, 80s.nyc – essentially a complete street view map of new york in the 1980. Scrolling over it is the closest you can ever get to walking into the gritty dangerous days of Gotham. This is such a retro gem, and I found myself spending a few hours just checking streets and familiar corners in the city.

Here’s the 7th avenue between 48th and 49th, then and today:

Source: 80s.nycSource: Google mapsSource: Google maps

Quite a difference, wouldn’t you say. Especially to see how much more open the streets were then.

The map was programmed by Jeremy Lechtzin and Brandon Liu who wanted to find a way to organize the huge database of over 800,000 images collected by the NY municipal archive and layer it for seamless browsing just like Google Street View is doing.

They’ve mentioned on an interview to DNAinfo:

“We’re trying to give people a sense of what the city looked like in the 1980s — what entire blocks looked like, what an entire neighborhood would have looked like”

Though the photos can’t be awarded for being the best documentation work – hey are grainy, washed out and sometime completely miss the focal point – they do deliver that raw, unglamorous, falling apart vibe of NYC during the 80s.

A city growing cancer, vying for change and redemption – while still never stops moving. Take for example Williamsburg before gentrification and hip era:

Source: 80s/nyc

In a similar way to Google maps, the maps features “stories” pinpoints, where clicking on thumbnails opens a story section with a series of photos, discussing areas of interest about the street, people, shops and events. This is by far the best part I find in this project.

Here’s the famous Katz Delicatessen tidbit:

And another one about V.I.M Jeans and Sneakers back in the days. You can almost feel the breakdance block party happening on the next street.